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Recently, we were hit in the rear and our tow bar was damaged. On being repaired, it was found that the tow bar was fitted by an engineer who cut slots in the chassis and welded plates to mount the tow bar to, rather than removing the bumper bar. As yet, we do not have a replacement tow bar as the original engineer no longer does them, and our mechanic says it is not warrantable. The panelbeater and insurance company don't want anything to do with replacing the tow bar. The engineer stands by his work and has a letter from the transport authority stating his installation method is ok. Both the engineer and panelbeater say it is probably stronger than a standard install. The engineer is now willing to repair or replace the original tow bar and install it, but we have concerns around insurance issues if we have a similar accident, and potentially liability if we sell the car and they have issues. We bought the car from a car dealer, who arranged the installation. We understand the rules around tow bar installation changed at some point, but are not sure when. Does this modification to the chassis need certification, or can actually be certified? Are we worrying unnecessarily? Any advice around this would be gratefully received.

HI there,
This can be a tricky situation.
However fitting of a tow bar itself doesn't require certification as long as the structural criteria remains with regards to the wof rules. This is because the fitting of a tow bar tends to strengthen the rear of the car.
You may need a second opinion, but if the modifications to the chassis to fit the tow bar are not acceptable, then it would need to be put right and then once up to wof standards there should be no reason for any ongoing issues or drama. https://vehicleinspection.nzta.govt.nz/virms/in-service-wof-and-cof/general/vehicle-structure/structure-incl2.-frontal-impact